Coil spring anchor assembly

ABSTRACT

A prefabricated spring anchor assembly is disclosed comprising a furniture slat along whose length U-shaped anchoring staples are partially embedded at substantially equal intervals. Protruding vertical legs of each staple are curved to form a pair of spring clenching fingers which serve, in cooperation with the bottom turn of a tapered coil spring, to lock the spring to the top surface of the slat.

United States Patent [191 Piliero 1 Jan. 8, 1974 [54] COIL SPRING ANCHOR ASSEMBLY 3,633,226 1/1972 Krakauer 5/263 [76] Inventor: James Piliero, 30-83 37th St.,

A i N.Y 11103 Primary Examiner-James C. Mitchell [22] iled Dec 11 19 2 Attorney-Ph1l1p D. Amlns [21] Appl. No.: 313,804 [57] ABSTRACT [52] CL 5/259 B 5/263 A prefabricated spring anchor assembly is disclosed 51 Int. Cl. A476 23/02 mPrising a furniture Slat almg whse length 58 Field OfSearch ..5/239-245 259R 259B shaped anchming Staples are Partially embedded at 5 H6413 264R substantially equal intervals. Protruding vertical legs l of each staple are curved to form a pair of spring clenching fingers which serve, in cooperation with the [56] References Cited bottom turn of a tapered coil spring to lock the spring UNITED STATES PATENTS to the top surface of the slat. 1,039,908 10/1912 Davis 5/2593 1,725,187 8/1929 Hager 5/259 B X 5 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures COIL SPRING ANCHOR ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus and methods for assembling coil springs on a furniture framework and in particular to prefabrication of a coil spring anchoring assembly.

A variety of coil spring fastening arrangements are known in the prior art and the vast majority of them employ a clip which engages a spring section and is secured with a fastener to the furniture framework when the spring is being installed. These arrangements are in general awkward to fasten to the slats and therefore tend to lengthen assembly time. Also, after a period of time the fasteners work themselves loose causing the springs to shift position.

A difierent coil spring fastener is taught in US. Pat. No. 3,633,226 and it includes a U-shaped bracket which embraces the side and bottom outer walls of the slat. The ends of the bracket are curved to grip the bottomturn of the coil spring. This arrangement is relatively easy to install but has the undesirable tendency to work loose if the slat dimensions are not maintained within specified limits. Moreover, an inordinate amount of time and precision must be employed to assure the correct spacing between adjacent springs during installation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a spring anchoring arrangement which appreciably shortens assembly time, simplifies assembly procedure, adapts easily to a variety of framework material sizes and eliminates relative spring movement of a prematurely loosened, but not detached coil spring.

These and other objects are achieved in accordance with an illustrative embodiment of the invention which comprises in combination a plurality of coil spring anchors adapted to be prefabricated along the length of a furniture slat. Each anchor is substantially U-shaped andis installed through the furniture slats so that a portion of each leg protrudes above the slat and the respective legs lie along a common longitudinal axis of the slat. The protrusion ends of each anchor are respectively curved away from each other and lie along the aforementioned axis. As thus formed each pair of curved ends form clenching fingers onto which the bottom turn of a Spring may be engaged.

Advantageously, the anchors may be preassembled onto each slat as an initial assembly step utilizing a power driven portable stapling tool or more sophisticated equipment such as a machine press adapted for this purpose. To facilitate this procedure the ends of each anchor are tapered and pointed to penetrate the slats. The free ends of each anchor can be curved when the coil spring is installed, or earlier as a separate assembly step.

If the protruding ends are pre-curved, the bottom turn of the spring coil is first inserted under one curved leg and twisted until the turn contacts both curved legs. It is a feature of this invention that the bottom turn is clenched by the curved legs, or fingers, when the coil spring is turned further about the spring'axis until a frictional contact between the fingers and the bottom turn is created which holds the spring in position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1. is a plan view of a furniture bottom frame showing transverse slats and one intermediate slat on which three helical springs have been installed using the prefabricated anchoring arrangement;

FIG. 2. is a horizontal section taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 exposing for inspection three anchoring staples embedded within the transverse slat and engaging the bottom turns of tapered spring coils;

FIG. 3. Ba horizontal section taken along line 33 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4. is a perspective view of a single coil held in position by clenching fingers of an embedded U-shaped anchor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the. plan view of FIG. 1, there is depicted the general layout of a box spring which includes bottom frame 10 with border pieces 11 and 12. At intermediate points on the pieces there are positioned transverse cross pieces l3-15 which are also commonly referred to as slats. The figure depicts helical spring coils l6, l7 and 18 anchored to slat 14 but it will be understood that the anchoring arrangement subsequently described is also intended for use on slats 13 and 15, as well as others not shown.

Turning next to the prefabricated anchoring assembly for fastening spring coils 16, 17 and 18 in accordance with this invention, let us consider the section view of FIG. 2 taken along the middle longitudinal axis of slat l4 and along line 2-2 of FIG. 1. U-shaped staples 5, 8 and 9 are shown at the bottom of FIG. 2 embedded partially into slat 14. In this embodiment staples 5, 8 and 9 were driven into slat 14 from underneath. Each one of the staples, it will be noted, have sharpened ends such as 20 and 21 of staple 5 to facilitate insertion into slat 14. Moreover, it should be ob served that this manner of affixing the staples in slat 14, is in no way limited by the dimension of slat 14.

End portions of each of staples 5, 8 and 9 are turned or curved in such a manner as to form clenching fingers 6 and 7 of staple 5 thereby defining clenching surfaces to secure the bottom turns (e.g.., turn 19) of coils 16-18. The bottom turn of each coil terminates in a straight tip such as tip 24 of coil 16 which is best viewed in FIG. 4.

To install a coil on pre-curved anchoring staple 5 for example, straight tip 24 is inserted initially under clenching finger 6 and turned in a clockwise direction aboutthe axis of coil 16 a half turn until fingers 6 and 7 are simultaneously contacting surfaces 22 and 23 of coil 16. As the coil is rotated further, bottom turn 19 becomes vertically compressed under fingers 6 and 7 until further rotation of the coil is resisted and an inor- It will be understood that the foregoing embodiment is illustrative, and variations of this arrangement are considered to be within the scope of this invention. For example, in place of the disclosed anchor staple one may choose to insert pairs of spikes or L-shaped members leaving exposed portions above the slat which are curved to form clenching fingers. Such variations are considered to be within the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A coil spring anchor arrangement for securing the bottom turn of a coil spring to a furniture or bedding slat comprising a substantially U-shaped staple which is adapted to be driven through said slat and thereafter shaped to form clenching fingers to retain said bottom turn, said staple having a pair of legs one end of each leg being tapered and pointed and the opposite end of each leg being joined to a relatively straight bottom section, said staple'being adapted with said tapered and pointed legs facing said slat to be driven through said slat until a prescribed portion of each leg protrudes from an opposite side of said slat, and wherein said prescribed portions of each leg are curved downwardly in opposite directions to each other to form clenching fingers to secure said bottom turn.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein the prescribed portions of each one of said legs are situated on a common longitudinal axis of said slat, and the downwardly curved portions lie substantially in the same plane which is parallel to said slat.

3. A coil spring anchoring arrangement for securing the bottom turn of a coil spring comprising a furniture or bedding slat through which a substantially U-shaped staple has been driven, said staple having a relatively straight bottom section which is in contact with a bottom surface of said slat and having upstanding legs which penetrate said slat such that portions of each leg extend beyond the opposite side surface of said slat; the last mentioned surface corresponding to a spring mounting surface, and the extending portions of each leg being curved respectively away from each other and lying in substantially the same plane which is substantially parallel to said spring mounting surface.

4. The invention recited in claim 3 wherein said upstanding legs are tapered and pointed thereby being adapted to be driven into and through said slat.

5. The invention recited in claim 3 wherein the upstanding legs are positioned along a common longitudinal axis of said slat. 

1. A coil spring anchor arrangement for securing the bottom turn of a coil spring to a furniture or bedding slat comprising a substantially U-shaped staple which is adapted to be driven through said slat and thereafter shaped to form clenching fingers to retain said bottom turn, said staple having a pair of legs one eNd of each leg being tapered and pointed and the opposite end of each leg being joined to a relatively straight bottom section, said staple being adapted with said tapered and pointed legs facing said slat to be driven through said slat until a prescribed portion of each leg protrudes from an opposite side of said slat, and wherein said prescribed portions of each leg are curved downwardly in opposite directions to each other to form clenching fingers to secure said bottom turn.
 2. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein the prescribed portions of each one of said legs are situated on a common longitudinal axis of said slat, and the downwardly curved portions lie substantially in the same plane which is parallel to said slat.
 3. A coil spring anchoring arrangement for securing the bottom turn of a coil spring comprising a furniture or bedding slat through which a substantially U-shaped staple has been driven, said staple having a relatively straight bottom section which is in contact with a bottom surface of said slat and having upstanding legs which penetrate said slat such that portions of each leg extend beyond the opposite side surface of said slat; the last mentioned surface corresponding to a spring mounting surface, and the extending portions of each leg being curved respectively away from each other and lying in substantially the same plane which is substantially parallel to said spring mounting surface.
 4. The invention recited in claim 3 wherein said upstanding legs are tapered and pointed thereby being adapted to be driven into and through said slat.
 5. The invention recited in claim 3 wherein the upstanding legs are positioned along a common longitudinal axis of said slat. 